Factor structure and validity of the Revised Suicide Crisis Inventory (SCI-2) among Indian adults

There is a dearth of cross-cultural data on the psychometric properties of the revised Suicide Crisis Inventory (SCI)- 2. Our objective was to examine the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the SCI-2 among Indian adults.

Using an online survey method, between August 20, 2020 and January 31, 2021, an anonymous questionnaire containing general sociodemographic information and self-report measures was circulated over email and social media. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) of the SCI-2 was carried out. We also examined the internal consistency of the SCI-2 and tested its convergent validity against the Suicide Narrative Inventory (SNI) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10).

A total of 302 participants (Mean age = 43.5 ± 17.9 years, 53.6% female) were obtained. Results of the one-factor CFA indicated good model fit (χ2[1769] = 5368.75, p < 0.001, Comparative Fit Index [CFI] =0.99, Root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] =0.08). Similarly, the five-factor CFA also exhibited strong model fit (χ2[1759] = 4215.54, p < 0.001, CFI = 1.00, RMSEA =0.07). Comparison of these models indicated that the five-factor model demonstrated superior model fit (Δχ2[10] = 278.88, p < 0.001). The SCI-2 total and subscale scores showed excellent internal consistency and good convergent validity against most domains of the SNI and PSS-10.

Among Indian adults, the SCI-2 demonstrated good psychometric properties with the proposed five-factor solution providing the best fit. These findings provide support for the SCI construct and its assessment with the SCI-2 in an Asian setting.